Patrick Cramer

Patrick Cramer is a Professor and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen, Germany. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Heidelberg and has held academic positions at Stanford University, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), and the Karolinska Institutet. His research focuses on gene transcription mechanisms, structural biology, and genomic regulation. Key achievements include pioneering cryo-electron microscopy studies of RNA polymerase complexes and elucidating SARS-CoV-2 replication mechanisms.

Education: Studied Chemistry at Stuttgart and Heidelberg Universities, with research stays in Bristol, Cambridge, and Grenoble. Earned his Diploma (1995) and PhD (1998) in Chemistry. Postdoctoral training at Stanford under Roger Kornberg (Nobel Laureate, 2006).

Research interests span structural biology of transcription, chromatin interactions, and functional genomics. His lab combines cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, and computational methods to study transcriptional regulation. Notable contributions include molecular 'movies' of transcription and insights into gene regulatory networks.

Scientific awards include the Shaw Prize (2023), Leibniz Prize (2006), and Otto Warburg Medal (2020). He has supervised over 50 PhD students and 30 postdocs, mentoring many into academic leadership roles. Current roles include Max Planck Society President (since 2023) and Director of the Molecular Biology Department.

Grants and funding include three ERC Advanced Grants, DFG support, and collaborations in international networks like the Cluster of Excellence 'Multiscale Bioimaging'. He leads the International Max Planck Research School for Genome Science and chairs multiple academic committees.